As he closes his letter of encouragement Paul slips in last minute instructions. In essence he says, “You got this–and here are ways to keep getting it”. Those of us who are following the Lord know we have the main thing down–our relationship with him! But can we live better? Can we be more faithful?

The return of the Lord has fascinated people since the first time he told his followers he was coming back. Many people invest a lot of their time “studying” his return. But what do we really need to know and understand in order to live faithfully now?

When someone tell you you’re doing well, it doesn’t mean you’re perfect! We can always be strengthened and improve–especially when it comes to how we live before God. Paul gives us some reminders of ways we can be even stronger, and invites us to practice these with him!

What we pray about not only tells us how we see our relationship with God, it demonstrates what we think is important. Paul’s description of his prayer looks very different from the average Christian’s prayer. Why is that, and what should we do about it?

We know there is a spiritual world, but do we understand it? And do we have to understand it to know that it is real and to respond to it? Paul talked about the reality that what he wanted to do was actually prevented by Satan. He wasn’t speaking figuratively. So how does this work? Does is happen to us? And how can we deal with it if we want to be faithful to the Lord?

Out of sight, out of mind is a reality for most of us. Sometimes this is true even with people we care about. Sometimes it strengthens us to look back at those who have made an impact on our lives and remember how they did it!